Earthquakes in Egypt

In Egypt there are partly large earthquakes with strengths of more than 7.0, which cause damages within a radius of over 100 kilometers. Measured against the size of the country, earthquakes occur very rarely.

Since 1950 more than 580 people have been killed by direct consequences of earthquakes. 2 earthquakes also caused a subsequent tsunami, which claimed further lifes and damages.

Other natural hazards in Egypt:
› Tsunamis
› The most severe natural disasters worldwide


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Earthquakes in Egypt since 1950

The strongest earthquake in Egypt happened on 11/22/1995 in the region Nuwaybi; Saudi Arabia; Israel; Jordan with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale. The shifting of tectonic plates in a depth of 11 km resulted in 12 deaths. The earthquake also triggered a tsunami with further victims and destructions.
DateRegionTiefeMagnitudeDeathsTotal damage
08/24/2002Cairo18 km4.40
11/22/1995Nuwaybi; Saudi Arabia; Israel; Jordan11 km7.212
10/12/1992Cairo55 km5.3545
11/14/1981Aswan29 km5.30
03/31/1969Beni-Souef, Al-Qahirah (Cairo)54 km7.02
09/12/1955Nile Delta20 km6.322


These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Several data have been summarized and translated.